MSI
Latest
MSI Slidebook S20 review: MSI's flagship Windows 8 Ultrabook has a flawed design
If you've been following our reviews of Windows 8 laptops, you know we haven't been too kind to the slider form factor. It's not like we set out to pan these machines, but time and again we've found that the propped-up display ruins the typing experience. Keep that in mind as we begin our review of the Slidebook S20, MSI's flagship Win 8 device, priced at $1,200 in the US. It's a bold move from a company whose bread and butter is not ultraportables, but gaming systems. In fact, the 11.6-inch S20 is the outfit's only high-end Windows 8 Ultrabook. So the company must have quite a bit of confidence in that form factor, then, if it didn't bother with dockable tablets or some other kind of convertible design. Could that mean the S20 has something all the others don't?%Gallery-184277%
Dana Wollman03.29.2013
MSI's mid-range S30 laptop is coming to Europe for 699 euros, we go hands-on (video)
When we first heard MSI was showing off a device at CeBIT called the S30, we assumed it was the successor to the S20, the company's first Windows 8 Ultrabook. Alas, though, it's not quite an Ultrabook, and it's certainly not as well-specced a system as the S20. What we have instead is a 13-inch thin-and-light, one that's headed to Europe for €699 and up. To start with a quick rundown of the specs, it comes either a Core i3 or i5 processor, along with 4GB of RAM and a variety of storage options, with the best one being a 500GB / 64GB SSD combo. Oddly, that 1,366 x 768 display doesn't support touch -- a surprise given the price, and given that other machines in its class do include that feature. At least the touchpad seems to do a capable job of handling all the various Windows 8 gestures. Finishing up our tour, that 23mm-thick chassis (a bit too thick by Ultrabook standards) is wide enough to accommodate an Ethernet jack, along with HDMI-out and a VGA socket. Only one USB 3.0 port (plus one 2.0 connection) seems a bit stingy, though. In any case, enjoy our hands-on video, and maybe even stay tuned for a closer look at that S20 Slider.%Gallery-180783%
Dana Wollman03.06.2013
MSI shows off its first gaming all-in-one, the Wind Top AG2712 (hands-on)
MSI has been churning out all-in-one PCs for we don't even know how long, but until now it hasn't marketed any of them toward gamers. And we can see why: all-in-one PCs don't have the modular, expandable design of a tower, and also aren't mobile like a laptop (not that gaming notebooks are portable, per se, but you get what we mean). Nonetheless, MSI is taking a chance anyway, in the hopes that some gamers out there would prefer a slimmer, space-saving machine, even if it meant sacrificing the processing clout you'd get from a full-fledged rig. The AG2712, which was announced a few days ago and is on display here at CeBIT, is a 27-inch desktop that generally looks and runs like any other all-in-one -- you know, one not targeted at the gaming set. On the outside, it has a few too many glossy bits, with a see-through stand at the rear and a wide speaker grille sitting just below the bezel (it makes use of THX audio technology, but there's no subwoofer for accentuating bass tones). On the inside, it runs a mobile Core i7 processor -- Ivy Bridge for now, though a company rep staffing the event here didn't rule out a Haswell refresh later on. For graphics, you've got NVIDIA's 670MX, a laptop-grade GPU announced back in October. As it happens, it's actually standard for all-in-one PCs to pack mobile components. The difference here, though, is that this was built for gamers, and the AG2712 is also kinda thick 'round back, which defeats the purpose of building a desktop with mobile bits in the first place. On a cheerier note, we appreciate the 27-inch, 1080p touchscreen, which will be offered with a wide-angle matte finish, as pictured above. (Okay, fine, you can get a glossy version instead, if you like.) Otherwise, the remaining specs are pretty standard: HDMI in / out, VGA, Ethernet, a multi-format memory card reader, a tray-loading optical drive, headphone / mic sockets, and six USB ports, two of them USB 3.0. If, on second thought, you don't need all that, MSI is also showing off a 22-inch model, the AG2212, which will have optional discrete graphics and starts with a Core i3, not i5, CPU. Either way, pricing hasn't yet been finalized, so although we're not keen on the idea of a gaming desktop using mobile parts, we'll withhold final judgment until we see how inexpensive it is. For now, enjoy some hands-on photos past the break.
Dana Wollman03.04.2013
MSI's Slider S20 Windows 8 convertible gets first quarter release, priced at $1,200
This year's Consumer Electronics Show has yet to officially kick off, but that's not stopping early birds like MSI from getting their news out ahead of the flood. Announced as part of its upcoming showcase, the company's Slider S20 is the very same Ultrabook we first saw back at Computex 2012 and even recently had hands-on time with, but now there's official pricing and a semi-concrete release date to accompany it: Q1 2013 for $1,200. True to its name, this 2.2lbs Windows 8 hybrid measures just under 1-inch in thickness and features an 11.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 10-point multi-touch IPS display, an Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB of SSD storage, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 720p front-facing camera and supports radios for Bluetooth 4.0 , as well as WiFi b/g/n. As for connectivity, the glossy white convertible hosts ports for USB 3.0 (2x), Ethernet, mini HDMI-out and a Jackson Peak Wireless adapter. It'll be on display in Vegas next week, so you can check it out en vivo if you happen to be in town. Otherwise, make do with the PR just past the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Joseph Volpe01.03.2013
MSI ships GX60 gaming laptop to the US, gives us high-end AMD gaming for $1,300
MSI made a reasonable case for AMD-based gaming when it unveiled the GX60 laptop back in September... just not for Americans looking to buy one right away. There's a better argument now that the 15.6-inch portable is shipping to the US this week. The $1,300 asking price isn't quite impulse level, but it's a relative steal for a system whose quad-core, 2.3GHz A10-4600M processor and Radeon HD 7970M should handle modern games without much fuss. The 8GB of RAM, 750GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, SteelSeries keyboard and Killer networking don't hurt, either. As long as the GX60's 7.7-pound weight isn't too imposing, it might be the ticket to wielding a brag-worthy PC at the next LAN party without having to follow the Intel-owning pack.
Jon Fingas11.12.2012
MSI launches the 27-inch Wind Top AE2712 all-in-one brandishing Windows 8, military specs
The Windows 8 all-in-one arena is already pretty crowded, but if MSI's new model had to fight it out with the rest battle-bot style, then it might just come out on top. That's because the Wind Top AE2712 comes with MSI's usual military class components, alongside a brutish 27-inch 1080p display with ten-finger touch, Core i3 or i5 processors and optional NVIDIA GeForce GT630M graphics (on the 'G' model). Also included is the company's Smart Media cloud that lets you share data with DNLA-enabled TVs and mobile devices. The PC's already popped up on Amazon UK with a £830 sticker and November 9th ship date, so if you need an AIO tough enough to withstand, say, an all-out rugrat assault, check out the source link.
Steve Dent11.01.2012
Hands-on with MSI's S20 Slidebook, a $1,099 Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video)
We just got more hands-on time with MSI's S20 Slidebook, which we first spotted at Computex 2012. This ultra light (2.3 pounds / 1kg) and thin (0.78-inches / 19.8mm) convertible Ultrabook runs Windows 8 (naturally) and packs an Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge), 4GB RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. In front, there's a gorgeous 11.6-inch 1920x1080-pixel IPS display with a 10-point capacitive multitouch layer plus an HD front-facing camera. A glossy white plastic bezel surrounds the glass panel and incorporates the MSI logo and the Windows button. The back cover is made of a silver magnesium alloy with matching plastic antenna covers for the built-in WiFi b/g/n, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. Most of the ports are on the right edge along with the power / lock key and LED indicators -- this includes the power input, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini-HDMI output and a pair of USB 3.0 connectors. You'll find a gigabit Ethernet port on the left side plus an SD card reader, orientation lock button and volume rocker in back. Of course, what sets the S20 apart is its ability to switch instantly from a tablet into a usable laptop. The screen slides up and tilts forward to reveal a chiclet keyboard with excellent key travel and decent spacing. You're not limited to any specific angle here -- the display is fully adjustable from flat to almost perpendicular with the keyboard. The sealed 3-cell 3900mAh battery is rated for 7 hours of continuous operation. We spent several minutes using the Slidebook and came away pretty impressed -- it's incredibly light for its size, the screen is bright and crisp, and the keyboard is comfortable. Even in prototype form, performance and build-quality are top-notch. MSI plans to make its convertible Ultrabook available late November for $1,099 through major US retailers both online and in stores. The company expects to sell other configurations in other markets as well. Take a look at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.
Myriam Joire10.25.2012
MSI makes AMD-laden GX60 gaming laptop official with A10 heart, Radeon HD 7970M graphics
We can't say that there's a huge cross-section of buyers who want a gaming laptop but refuse to touch Intel components. Whatever the size, MSI likely has that group sewn up with the official unveiling of the GX60 following a stealth appearance at Computex. The 15.6-inch portable is built as showcase for AMD's latest mobile technology: it revolves around a 2.3GHz, quad-core A10-4600M processor using the Piledriver architecture as well as a Radeon HD 7970M to feed its 1080p screen at full speed. Thankfully, the PC is more than just a marketing vehicle and carries some of the gamer-tuned parts that we've seen in other MSI rigs, such as dual SSDs in a RAID stripe, a low-lag Killer networking chipset and a heavy-duty SteelSeries keyboard. Buying a GX60 may prove to be the real obstacle -- in keeping with most MSI introductions, there's no mention of a price or ship date, and none of the usual suspects have it in stock as of this writing.
Jon Fingas09.25.2012
MSI outs new CR41 notebook, hopes you like the color royal bronze
What's rectangular, coated in a royal bronze finish, opens like a clam and lasts for up to seven and a half hours? If you answered MSI's new CR41 notebook, you'd be right (though we would've accepted self-destructing jewelry boxes as an answer). The 14-inch multimedia "mobile companion," announced just today, packs a 1,366 x 768 HD display, dedicated HM76 graphics chipset, choice of Intel's third-generation Core i processors and comes in a variety of storage configurations: 500 GB, 640GB or 720GB. Weighing in at 5.3 pounds (2.4kg) and measuring 13.8 x 9.2 x 1.3 inches (349.7 x 234.8 x 32mm), the laptop also features a six-cell 4,400mAh battery, support for Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi b/g/n, an optical drive, ports for HDMI, USB 3.0 (x2), USB 2.0 (x2), an SD slot and the requisite headphone jack. So far no official pricing or release dates have been made public for the Windows 7 rig, but when it does hit retailers' shelves, rest assured it'll be upgrade-ready for Redmond's next great OS. Follow on past the break for the official PR.
Joseph Volpe07.27.2012
MSI GT60 and GT70 gaming laptops get NVIDIA GTX 680M graphics, available now from $1,899
MSI introduced the GT60 and GT70 notebooks in March, and the latter has already received an upgrade to NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 675M GPU. Now both laptops are taking another step up, this time to the GeForce GTX 680M, NVIDIA's latest GPU, with 4GB of dedicated memory. The refreshed 16-inch GT60 and 17-inch GT70 are available in the US today for $1,899 and $2,599, respectively. Specs remain the same aside from the revved-up GPU; both models come standard with an Intel Core i7-3610QM CPU, a 1,920 x 1,080 display, HDMI output, a Killer E2200 LAN card and three USB 3.0 ports. For more info, head to the press release below the break.
Sarah Silbert07.24.2012
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 and 670 round-up: which overclocked card is the one for you?
Happy first-quarter birthday, Kepler. Your reference design is old enough for companies like EVGA, MSI, ASUS, Zotac to push your various clock speeds to the limit, while using custom coolers to avoid meltdown. Arguably the time to upgrade is now and that's why Hot Hardware has done a full-on round-up review, comparing some of the best GTX 680 and GTX 670 packages against each other and against the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition. If you prefer your morning news fresh and unspoilered, jump straight to the source link below. Or, if you just want the gist of it, click Read More.
Sharif Sakr07.13.2012
MSI Slider S20 Windows 8 Ultrabook hands-on (video)
It's been a while since we've heard from MSI. Sure, the company is still into gaming laptops, but remember that this is a company that once dominated the netbook space alongside the likes of ASUS and Acer. Well, netbooks are dead, and the company never really embraced tablets, the thing that replaced them. At some point along the line, MSI more or less stepped away from the mobile game. That might be changing. If the company missed the boat on tablets, it's definitely not going to sit out the Ultrabook craze: the company recently announced the Slider S20, an upcoming Windows 8 ultraportable whose 11-inch touchscreen can be pushed back and up -- yes, just like that Slider. We happened to stumble across one on display here at Computex, and naturally did what any self-respecting group of tech writers would do: we took lots and lots of photos. You'll find them all just below, and our hands-on with video continues after the break.%Gallery-156998%
Dana Wollman06.05.2012
MSI unwraps Slider S20 hybrid tablet with Windows 8 (hands-on)
MSI is well-known for showing tablets at Computex -- it even showed what amounts to the same tablets at two different shows. It's certainly shaking things up this year, however, with the Slider S20. We've seen hybrid tablet PCs before, but the Windows 8-toting S20 has a fairly slick tilting mechanism that locks the 11.6-inch touchscreen at an angle, turning the slate into a pseudo-laptop right on the spot. MSI is only willing at this early stage to mention a few key details, but it's promising at least one Slider S20 variant with a properly speedy low-voltage Ivy Bridge chip as well as 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and USB 3.0. Our friends at Engadget Spanish got an early look and found the tablet a bit chunky with a so-so display, but also thought that it looked like a "robust" design. Check our overseas companions' first impressions for more, and know that the Slider S20 is expected to reach Europe in September at €899 ($1,121) in its full Ivy Bridge glory along with a lower-powered model at €799 ($996).%Gallery-156804%
Jon Fingas06.04.2012
Engadget's summer gear guide 2012: gaming
In the interest of keeping cool this summer, we've put together a list of the hottest products out right now. From smartphones to e-readers and everything in between, there's no time like the present to re-up that post-spring-cleaning stash. So grab a popsicle or a cold one and dive in -- the water's just right. The summer months are home to one of the most bittersweet events in gaming: the Electronic Entertainment Expo. E3 flaunts the year's biggest news in video games, exciting players with peeks at upcoming titles, glimpses of new consoles and soul-crushingly distant release dates. Need something to kill time with? We can help. Sony and Microsoft may not be unveiling next-generation hardware at this year's expo, but there are still a few things you can do to put yourself on the bleeding edge without a console. If you simply can't live without dedicated gaming hardware, however, you still have some options -- though you'll have to wait until the fall or beyond to get your hot little hands on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U. Read on, and we'll see what we can do about subduing your post-E3 anxiety.
Sean Buckley06.01.2012
MSI GT70 gaming laptop kindly updated with GeForce GTX 675M graphics
We sure hope you like surprises, because we've got a good one for you. It seems as if MSI wasn't quite pleased with the killer graphics on its feature-loaded GT70 laptop and decided to give it a quick boost. Earlier today, the outfit announced its fresh gaming machine will now ship with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 675M GPU instead of that already powerful GTX 670M found in our review unit. MSI says the change was driven by the company's beliefs that "exceptional performance starts with outstanding components," and, needless to say, we're certain you'd agree. In case you've yet to grab one of these for yourself, you can do so at the source below.
Edgar Alvarez05.31.2012
ASUS and MSI launch Thunderbolt motherboards, tie for first place
You wait for one Thunderbolt-compatible motherboard and then two decide to arrive on the same day. Going alphabetically, ASUS' P8Z77-V Premium is its first Intel-certified board to pack Thunderbolt and it's followed immediately by the P8Z77-V Pro / Thunderbolt. The connection will hook up to multiple storage drives or any Thunderbolt-friendly display -- it can be daisy-chained to up to six different devices. MSI's Z77A-GD80 packs a similarly complicated naming convention (although it's not yet certified by Intel) and like ASUS' offerings, will arrive with Intel's Z77 chipset ready to play nice with those new 22nm processors. Alongside storage and monitor support, MSI also throws in the extra nugget that it'll connect to a graphics card, if you're so inclined. The full technical breakdown on both motherboards is housed after the break.
Mat Smith05.21.2012
Thunderbolt on Windows gets hands-on, lacks Mac's hot-swapping
Thunderbolt's 10-gigabit interface is only just making its way to Windows after spending more than a year as a Mac-only feature, so it's not surprising that a lot of questions surround how well the Apple- and Intel-developed connection works for those of a Microsoft persuasion. A thorough test at AnandTech of one of the first motherboards to support the spec on Windows PCs, an Ivy Bridge-ready board from MSI, has shown some positive signs along with a few flies in the high-speed ointment. The good news? Most general storage devices will work as expected with a minimum of fuss, and you can even get some features of Apple's Thunderbolt Display working if you're willing to accept a lack of pre-supplied software brightness controls and USB support. The bad news comes mostly in the absence of true hot-plugging like on the Mac: if a device isn't plugged into the Thunderbolt port on boot, Windows won't see it. Professionals who need everything to be just perfect will want to wait, then, but bandwidth lovers will still find something to like if they're willing to build Thunderbolt-equipped PCs themselves.
Jon Fingas05.12.2012
The Distro Interview: MSI Senior Vice President and co-founder, Jeans Huang
The MSI brand should be no stranger to connoisseurs of desktop motherboards, graphics cards and gaming laptops, but did you know that this Taiwanese company started off as a computer terminal maker 26 years ago? To find out more, we sat down with the very likable Senior Vice President (R&D Division) Jeans Huang. Read on to hear the co-founder's interesting story on how MSI was formed by five ex-Sony engineers, his frank reason behind MSI's reluctance to enter the smartphone market, and his thoughts on 3D display on the PC.
Richard Lai05.02.2012
Distro Issue 38: a peek at the Navy's Robotics Laboratory and an interview with MSI's Jeans Huang
Ah, yes. The end of the week is upon us. Of course, this means that the latest installment of our tablet publication has arrived. Stepping up to the plate this time around, Brian Heater takes a look inside LASR, the Navy's Robotics Lab, and Richard Lai chats with MSI co-founder Jeans Huang. After a strong debut last week, Ludwig Kietzmann is back with Reaction Time and his take on Journey. Our brand spankin' new hands-on section looks back at Spotify's Android preview, Alexandre Herchovitch's HP Pavilion DM1, MIT's Arduino-powered DrumTop and Google Drive. We spend some quality time with the T-Mobile HTC One S, LG Viper, ASUS TF300 and MSI GT70 while Switched On tackles Kickstarter project funding. Looking for something more? IRL reveals our personal gadget stash, the Stat takes a look at tech jobs, Tapbots co-creator Mark Jardine handles the Q&A and Box Brown offers the Last Word on Facebook's recent purchase. Go ahead and hit your favorite link below to snag your copy of this week's e-magazine. Distro Issue 38 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Billy Steele04.27.2012
MSI GT70 gaming laptop review
MSI outs new GT60 / GT70 gaming laptops, we go hands-on (video) Everything old is new again: NVIDIA rebrands Fermi-based GPUs into 600-series Intel puts Ivy Bridge on the map: promises up to 20 percent faster CPU, doubled graphics, desktop quad-cores from $174 Now that Intel's let the cat out of the bag (and into the Ivy), it's high time we took a look at what manufacturers are going to do with those fancy new processors. Behold: The MSI GT70 gaming laptop, one of the first gaming beasts out of the door with Intel's next generation architecture. Living up to its next-gen CES promises, this 17.3-inch behemoth falls squarely in the desktop replacement category, at 8.6 pounds, and packs a new 2.3GHz Core i7-3610QM processor, NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 670M chip with 3GB of video memory, 16GB of DDR3 RAM and a fancy RAID 0 dual SSD setup -- all wrapped in one hefty, formidable package. So how powerful a combination do Ivy Bridge and NVIDIA make? Let's find out.
Sean Buckley04.23.2012